The Charge

"I have eaten the ribs of God!"

Opening Statement

Ask fans of The Simpsons when exactly the series went downhill, and
you'll get almost as many answers as there are seasons of the show. Some
maintain that it hasn't been good since the single digits. Other, more generous,
souls will admit to a few low spots while defending the entire series run. The
more seasons hit home video, the more convinced I am that the answer is a moving
target. There's something about having a full season, in a feature-rich package,
that elevates the middling episodes and makes the best entries even better.
Getting it all in high-definition? That's just jelly in the donut.

Facts of the Case

The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season (Blu-ray) has 22
episodes, across three Kang and/or Kodos-themed discs:

The Evidence

Even though it's still fun to watch, The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth
Season is a far cry from the show's glory days. The best early season
episodes told single, half-hour stories. As the show moved into its second
decade, it started trading those focused plots for a random mish-mash of wacky
adventures. Season Fourteen avoids the worst of that trend, keeping things
mostly grounded.

This season's highlights include "Barting Over," promoted as the
show's 300th episode even though it was actually number 302; and "How I
Spent My Strummer Vacation," in which Homer goes to Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy
Camp, where he meets Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello,
Brian Setzer, and Lenny Kravitz. "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can"
caters to word nerds and fast food fans alike, with the multi-talented George
Plimpton trying to bribe Lisa with a college education and a hot plate, as well
as Homer's introduction to Krusty Burger's addictive Ribwich.

In The Simpsons' early seasons, guest stars were a big deal. By the
fourteenth season, they were ubiquitous. Besides famous rock stars and literary
giants, this collection also includes appearances by Tony Hawk, Blink-182,
"Weird Al" Yankovic, David Byrne, Elliott Gould, Steve Buscemi, Little
Richard, Ken Burns, Adam West, Andy Serkis, Eric Idle, and Kelsey Grammar
(returning as Sideshow Bob in "The Great Louse Detective"). As
overstuffed as it feels at times, this season keeps the Simpson family front and
center. "The Dad Who Knew Too Little," "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the
Third Grade," and "Brake My Wife, Please" deal with their
dysfunction, while "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" and the reality show
spoof "Helter Shelter" transplant them beyond Springfield's
borders.

Season Fourteen's obligatory side-character episodes are a mixed bag.
"Special Edna" takes Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel's
relationship to a new, uncomfortable level when she gets nominated for a teacher
of the year award. In "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington," Krusty is
elected to the Senate by means of complicated set-up involving the Simpson house
and a rerouted flight path. The season's strangest episode, though, is the
Ned-centric "A Star is Born-Again," in which the Simpsons' godly
neighbor falls for, and sleeps with, a visiting starlet (voiced by Marisa
Tomei). After thirteen years of goody-good Ned Flanders, the premarital sex
twist makes zero sense, and encapsulates the show's latter-season problem with
changing its characters to fit a premise instead of the other way around.

The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season is the third set
released in high-definition, following Seasons Twenty (the first to include
actual HD episodes) and Thirteen. Like Season Thirteen, the episodes on this
1080p AVC-encoded Blu-ray are just upscaled standard-def episodes, although
Season Fourteen was the first to switch over to digital, rather than cel,
animation. The result is a cleaner image with vibrant colors. It's not a perfect
transfer—edge enhancement and ghosting are prevalent—but it's a
noticeable upgrade.

The power of the new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix isn't in surround effects,
but in opening up the soundscape. Dialogue is crisp, and music has more oomph (I
still can't get over the room-rattling bass notes in Danny Elfman's opening
theme). In some ways, the audio upgrade is more impressive than the visuals.

Like previous sets, The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season is stuffed
with bonus features, although a good chunk of them are devoted to Halloween
episodes that aren't part of this season:

• "A Haunting Invite from Matt Groening" (2:12): Series
creator Groening's introduction to the season is also the first of the
Halloween-themed extras, to go with the set's spooky packaging and menus.

• Audio Commentaries on every episode, with the show's
writers, performers, and guest stars like "Weird Al," David Byrne, Joe
Mantegna, and Stacy Keach.

• Special Language Showcase for "Three Gays of the
Condo": This weird little extra adds Portuguese, German, Czech, and Italian
dub tracks for one episode, and is totally worth it to hear Marge's
obviously-a-dude Czech voice.

• Sketch Galleries: One each on discs one and two, with concept
art for the episodes "How I Spend My Strummer Vacation" and
"Barting Over."

• Animation Showcase for "Moe Baby Blues": The opening
five minutes of the season finale, with both storyboard and animatic
picture-in-picture.

• Deleted Scenes (11:06): Although they are accessible via an
onscreen scissor prompt while watching the episodes, the deleted scenes are also
available in one big chunk on disc three, with or without commentary by a
defensive Al Jean.

• "In the Beginning" (12:43): A collection of opening
credits sequences from all of the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes
through this season.

• "The Halloween Classics" (8:18): Following up on the
previous extra, a collection of highlights from the first 13 "Treehouse of
Horror" episodes.

• Bonus Treehouse of Horror Episodes: As a Blu-ray exclusive,
this set includes hi-def versions of the Halloween episodes from the sixth and
seventh seasons. With classic segments like "The Shinning," "Time
and Punishment," and "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace," they're
arguably the best episodes in this set. I'm not sure that was the desired
effect.

Closing Statement

By its fourteenth season, The Simpsons was struggling to stay fresh,
overcompensating with outlandish plots that took focus away from the characters
that made the series great. Even so, it's a better season than many fans
remember, with solid laughs and more than a few memorable moments. It's not the
best of the series, but this impressive Blu-ray set puts these episodes in a
flattering light. The Halloween theme might not make much sense this time of
year, but I don't think anyone who loves the "Treehouse of Horror"
episodes is going to complain.

The Verdict

Not guilty…and a hot plate!

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